MICHAEL Kightly scored his first league goal to hand Wolves a 1-0 win at QPR - but still received a flea in his ear from manager Mick McCarthy.

MICHAEL Kightly scored his first league goal to hand Wolves a 1-0 win at QPR - but still received a flea in his ear from manager Mick McCarthy.

Kightly, who is expected to make his loan move from Conference club Grays permanent when the transfer window re-opens next month, volleyed a 49th-minute winner to crown an impressive second-half display from McCarthy's side.

Kightly wasted chances to make the result more convincing - and he was ticked off by McCarthy for his profligacy.

"I told Michael he should have scored four - and he should," McCarthy revealed. "I am hard to please, and he knows that. Michael is a player who has scored goals for Grays this season and last, and our scouts recommended him highly.

"He looks like a good acquisition. He is on loan until the window re-opens, and I would think we would sign him permanently. He looks like he is going to score every time he gets into the box, and he is taking his chance."

As good as Wolves were in the second half, they were awful in the first, and McCarthy criticised their display in the opening 45 minutes.

It was only Wolves' second win in seven matches, and McCarthy was at a loss to explain their first-half showing.

"I don't have a clue why it keeps happening," he admitted. "Maybe we should get the scoreboard to show 45 minutes when we come out.

"Perhaps we should give them a rollicking before the game starts, because the second-half performance was terrific. I wish I had the answer, then I would not have had to watch such poor stuff for 45 minutes on the last three occasions."